Board of Trustees Board Package 2.9.21

February 9, 2021 

Agenda- February 9, 2021    Time  Issue  Action  Lead   6:00pm  Roll Call  Vote/  Chair Botstein  Approval of agenda  Information    Approval of minutes  6:05pm  Old Business:   Information    6:15pm    6:45pm  - Onsight Activity Update      7:30pm  - School Performance Update  Committee Chairs  - TR Learning Institute Update    New Business:  Information  - Gala Discussion   - TR presentation with students  re: race and equity work  Committee Reports and Discussion  Information,  ❖ Executive (5)  Votes  ❖ Finance (15)  ❖ Development  ❖ Academic (5)  ❖ Governance (5)  ❖ Transition  ❖ DEI (subcommittee) (20)  Adjourn  Vote    This meeting is governed by the Open Meetings Act. Please address any questions or complaints  arising under this meeting to the Office of Open Government at [email protected].    Bylaws    Next meeting:   ● March 9, 2021  

  January 12, 2021    Call to Order  The virtual meeting of the Two Rivers Board of Trustees started at 6:05pm via Zoom.     Board Members  Clara Haskell Botstein, Chair Present  Justin Valentine, Vice Chair Present  Ali Khawar, Secretary  Present  Saumil Shah, Treasurer Present  Kimberly Eddings, Trustee Present  Malik Husser, Trustee   Absent    Anne Lackritz, Trustee Present  Anne McElwain, Trustee Present  Lucas Pipes, Trustee Present  Nick Rodriguez, Trustee    Present  Eli Schlam, Trustee    Present  Matthew Steenhoek, Trustee Present  Penelope Talley Thornton, Trustee Present  Reem Labib Tyson, Trustee Present  Aswathi Zachariah, Trustee Present  Kristina Kyles-Smith, Executive Director and Ex Officio  Present    Others Present  Aurora Steinle, Chief of Staff  Dion Wiltshire, Senior Director of Finance  Michelle Kimso, Executive Assistant  Gail Williams, Director of Operations    Approval of Meeting Agenda  The Board unanimously approved the January 12th meeting agenda.    Approval of Board Meeting Minutes  The Board unanimously approved the December 30th Board Meeting Minutes. 

  Old Business  Executive Director Kyles-Smith shared that Two Rivers will remain remote through the 3rd  quarter. Two Rivers will increase connection in Spanish and PE through decreasing class  size. MAP testing will continue during the winter.     Chair Botstein asked for feedback on the Board’s letter in support of the Executive  Director’s recent letter to families regarding the Capital Insurrection. Changes to wording  were recommended and the final letter will be posted on the website.    New Business  Executive Director Kyles-Smith shared that Learning Hubs will start on the 21st for 30  students for intervention. Students will be required to follow COVID-19 protocol. PS3 and  PS4 will start online pilots with families and teachers for interest. Two Rivers is looking  at logistics including classroom space and playground.     Finance  Senior Director of Finance Wiltshire presented the budget reforecast. Two Rivers had a  shortfall in revenue of $21,000 due to loss in SPED students. Two Rivers had an  increase in SOAR grant of $500,000, which compensated for loss in revenue. Two  Rivers made adjustments in substitute teachers, utilities, and building services due to  closure of campuses. Additional CARES funding is not yet incorporated.     Finance Votes  Vice Chair Valentine presented the following Memo and which had been shared with the  board in advance:  ● Website Redesign -​ Two Rivers is exploring an overhaul of its two websites  Two Rivers PCS and Two Rivers Learning Institute. A competitive process  for RFPs was run. The total is $49,600 half of which is covered through  grant dollars allocated to the Two Rivers Learning Institute in the  Assessment for Learning (ASL) Grant.  ○ Recommendation - Two Rivers recommends approval for contracting  with Lincoln Square Group to provide Website Redesign services for  both Two Rivers PCS and the Two Rivers Learning Institute.    The Board unanimously voted to approve the recommendation.   

  Trustee Steenhoek presented the following Memos and which had been shared with the  board in advance:  ● Bipolar Ionization -​ Two Rivers is looking to install bi-polar ionization  upgrade to the HVAC system at all 3 schools following a recommendation  of a clean air building assessment, which was a response to the public  health crisis. Two Rivers received bids from 3 companies.  ○ Recommendation - Two Rivers recommends contracting with WL Gary  for $157,000.    ● Building Management System -​ Two Rivers is looking to upgrade the HVAC  Building Management System at both 4th Street buildings. The system will  give advance notice of issues and save money in the long run. A  sole-source contract was issued on November 13, 2020.  ○ Recommendation - Two Rivers recommends contracting with WL Gary  for $57,373.    ● Rooftop Units ​- Replacement of 2 units air quality units at 1227 4th Street  NE. This will ensure when students come back air quality is best. There  was a request for proposals and one vendor submitted a proposal.  ○ Recommendation - Two Rivers recommends approval for contracting  with WL Gary for the cost of $132,759.     Following discussion, the Board unanimously voted to approve all 3 recommendations.    Treasurer Shah presented the following Memo and which had been shared with the  board in advance:  ● Onsite Learning Facilitation -​ This month, Two Rivers will launch Learning  Hubs with 9 students in a classroom of Tier III mixed-grade students. They  will be virtually learning 4 days a week. AlphaBEST Education has  partnered Two Rivers for the 2019-2020 school year to provide before and  after care to Two Rivers Students. A sole-source contract was issued on  November 27,2020.  ○ Recommendation - Two Rivers recommends approval for contracting  with WL Gary for the cost of $132,759.  

  Following discussion, the Board unanimously voted to approve the recommendation.    Committee Reports and Discussion  Trustee Lackritz shared that the Academic Excellence committee had the opportunity to  participate in virtual learning walks in December. They are waiting for MAP results to be  released.     Secretary Khawar shared that the Governance Committee is looking into background  checks for Board members, which are not required by law. The Committee will develop a  proposal to bring to the Board at a future meeting.    Trustee McElwain shared that the Development Committee had a big fundraising push in  December and they are looking forward to virtual events in the spring. The Back to  Basics campaign raised more this year than last year.    Closed Session  The Board of Trustees voted to move to Closed Session to discuss matters involving  alleged criminal misconduct that was the subject of an ongoing investigation, and  personnel matters.    Governance  After returning to open session, Chair Botstein announced that Secretary Khawar is  stepping down from serving on the Board of Trustees, effective January 20, 2021.    Following the announcement, Chair Botstein proposed the following vote:  ● Vote on New Secretary, Trustee Zachariah, effective January 20, 2021.    The proposed vote passed unanimously.    Adjournment  The Board meeting adjourned at 7:57pm.    Prepared by:  Submitted by:  Michelle Kimso /s/  Aswathi Zachariah /s/  Executive Assistant        Secretary    

____________________________________________________________________________  TO:  Two Rivers Board of Trustees  FROM: Kristina Kyles-Smith , Ed.D, Executive Director  DATE: January 28, 2021   SUBJECT:  Onsite Learning Update  _​ ___________________________________________________________________________    BACKGROUND/CONTEXT​:  In January, we updated the Two Rivers Board on our plan for the third quarter, including launching  Learning Hubs, implementing a pilot for PS3 instruction onsite, expanding in-person support  services for students, and increasing staff access to work in our buildings. Since we met, there have  been several advancements in our progress towards implementing these plans and in the resources  and context for COVID-19 prevention onsite.     EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  In the month of January, there were four significant updates related to our onsite offerings:  1) Launch of Learning Hubs -​ On January 25, 2021, Two Rivers opened the doors of its first  “Learning Hubs” in partnership with AlphaBest. The three Learning Hub classrooms  (serving grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-8) are located at the Young Campus and had 21 students  enrolled on Day 1. Attendance started high at just over 80%. Two Rivers has the  opportunity to regularly monitor the Hubs remotely (via Zoom with the teachers) and  onsite. Our team is focused on filling the remaining seats and strengthening our  coordination with AlphaBest.   2) Communication of PS3 Pilot​ - After additional communication preparation, Two Rivers  announced that the PS3 pilot is proceeding. Currently, the pilots are in an enrollment phase  where eligible students are receiving outreach from their teachers in order to confirm  interest. Once enrollment is complete, we anticipate having a roster of 27 students between  the two pilots, who will receive two full days of onsite instruction for grade PS3. The  students will participate in half days on site the Week of 2/15, and will begin full days the  Week of 2/22. Additionally, 42 families took an optional PS3/PK4 survey to indicate their 

interest in participating in an expansion of any early grade pilot that is two days in-person  per week. To date, approximately 85% of families taking the survey answered affirmatively  that they would enroll their child in any similar two-day onsite pilot.  3) Confirmation of COVID-19 Testing Plan -​ Through a partnership with DC Health and  the Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE), Two Rivers has access to both  symptomatic and asymptomatic testing for students and teachers onsite. Both testing  opportunities are optional.   Symptomatic testing occurs onsite and is administered by the school nurse in the isolation  room in the event that a child becomes sick with COVID-like symptoms. If a student is  symptomatic while onsite, but does not consent (via parent consent) to a rapid test and PCR  test while in isolation, the student will need to show a negative test result or wait the required  time period before returning to the site (these return to school policies are governed by  OSSE’s Health and Safety guidance).   Asymptomatic testing occurs onsite for students and remotely for staff as a form of  “surveillance” testing. A DC Health team will visit the TR site every ten days to test  consenting students using a PCR test. Staff can access optional PCR tests by mail. Tests are  mailed to their home address approximately every ten days and returned by mail.   In all cases, test results are shared only with the staff or family tested - Two Rivers does not  receive test results.   4) Vaccine Availability for Eligible Two Rivers Staff Persons​ - In January, Mayor Bowser  announced that some education personnel would be prioritized in an early phase of DC’s  vaccine rollout plan. The first group of education personnel eligible for vaccination in Phase  1b are personnel who meet ALL THREE of the following eligibility criteria:  (1) Working in K-12 public schools;  (2) Working in person currently OR by the end of February; and  (3) Working in schools where at least some in-person learning is taking place,  although eligible personnel do not have to work directly with students.  “Personnel” includes teachers, leaders, support staff, operations staff, and contractors, and  any individuals working in school buildings. Eligible personnel must work in DC, but do not  need to live in DC - staff who are residents of MD, VA, etc., working in Two Rivers schools 

are eligible. Eligible charter personnel will be vaccinated through One Medical and DCPS  personnel will be vaccinated through Children’s Hospital.   Two Rivers prepared a list of staff who met the eligibility criteria and submitted that list to  the DC Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Vaccination appointments were made available  starting January 26, 2021. Two Rivers does not collect or receive data about whether staff  choose to become vaccinated once eligible.     BUDGET SNAPSHOT:  The current resources for COVID-19 testing for staff and students are being provided at no-cost by  D.C. Government. Immunizations are similarly being provided at no-cost to staff or Two Rivers.    Learning Hubs, which cost approximately $200 per week per student for the care and oversight  provided by AlphaBest, have previously been approved by the Two Rivers Board up to a cost of  $145,800. We have subsequently received information about additional federal funding that is likely  to cover some or all of the cost.     RECOMMENDATION/RATIONALE:  Two Rivers will remain on its current path of expansion towards full re-opening.     ACTION:    No Board action requested---for awareness only.     ATTACHMENTS:  Family Town Hall presentation (2-1-2021)       

____________________________________________________________________________  TO:  Two Rivers Board of Trustees  FROM: Kristina Kyles-Smith , Ed.D, Executive Director  DATE: February 1, 2021  SUBJECT:  Academic Updates  _​ ___________________________________________________________________________  PURPOSE  For Informational Purposes    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:  Statewide Assessments  As part of our accountability to both the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE)  and the DC Public Charter School Board, every public school must administer a series of statewide  assessments. The assessments help schools to determine the extent to which we are meeting our  academic goals. These assessments include:     English Language  Science  English Language  Arts/Math  Proficiency  Partnership for Assessment of  DC Science  ACCESS for English Language  Readiness for College and  Learners  Careers (PARCC)  Multi-State Alternate  Dynamic Learning Maps  Alternate ACCESS for English  Assessment (MSAA)  (DLM)  Language Learners    On January 15th, OSSE released its final guidance around participation in statewide assessments for  the 2020-21 school year. Due to the unique context of this school year, Two Rivers has made the  following updates have to the administration of statewide assessments for this school year:  ● PARCC will have both in-person and remote administration options,   ● DC Science and DLM will not be administered this year due to the challenges presented by  the Coronavirus Pandemic, and  

● ACCESS, Alternate ACCESS, and MSAA will only be available in person. If a student is not  receiving in-person instruction, they will not be required to participate in the assessment.    As noted in the December 14th memo to the Board, OSSE has submitted an accountability waiver  to the Federal Department of Education to not assign that School Transparency and Reporting  (STAR) ratings (based in part on statewide assessment data) for the 2020-21 year. Our Chief  Academic Officer will be working with school leadership teams this month to begin finalizing our  spring assessment plan.    Mid-Year Assessments  Mid-year assessments (Circle and mClass for grades PS - 1; MAP for grades 2-8) are wrapping up in  the next week, after which the Academic Excellence Committee will meet to discuss progress with  the CAO.    BUDGET SNAPSHOT:  No additional funding is needed as we have already provided for hardware (i.e., Chromebooks and  hotspots) to ensure access to testing.    RECOMMENDATION/RATIONALE:  N/A      ACTION: (​Describe the intended/requested outcome)  N/A        ATTACHMENTS:  N/A          C: Kenneth McCants-Pearsall , Chief Academic Officer 

    To: Two Rivers Board of Trustees    From: Kristina Kyles-Smith , Ed.D, Executive Director    Date: February 2021    Subject: Development Board Report        PURPOSE:  For informational and discussion purposes.    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:    1. Framing the Future Gala.​ In January, we distributed a survey to members of our Two Rivers  community who have been a part of the gala in previous years. This includes donors, auction bidders,  attendees, sponsors, and volunteers. As we prepare for our virtual gala this year, we wanted to ensure  that we understand our participants’ needs. Some highlights included:  ● 82% of respondents said they are interested in a dinner-to-go box and we will use our $7,000  deposit (rolled over from last year) with B. Lin Catering to provide this.   ● The top three auction item interests:  ○ Gift certificates to restaurants and local small businesses,  ○ Featured art, and  ○ Classroom baskets.  ● 18 respondents (25%) volunteered to help on a committee.  ● Some suggestions on how to make the virtual event fun / engaging   ○ Break-out rooms by grade / class to socialize  ○ Self-select break-out rooms with different activities: Trivia, sign-along, cocktail  creations, cooking class, chocolate making class, etc.  ○ Guest speakers  ○ Live music performances  ○ Instead of set ticket price, recommended donation amount based on salary - could  make the gala more accessible to low-income families  ○ Featured artists explaining their artwork live or on a recorded video to entice people  to bid   We were pleased to see more than s​ eventy survey responses,​ which demonstrated a high level of  engagement from our gala community.    

2. Enhanced OSSE Grant Monitoring for 2021.​ This year, Two Rivers PCS has been selected for  enhanced monitoring of its grants by OSSE. OSSE’s decision to label Two Rivers as a “high-risk  grantee,” published in the attached notification, is based solely on (a) the high dollar value of Two  Rivers’ federal grant portfolio, and (b) the fact that we have not received enhanced monitoring for  more than seven years. The implications of enhanced monitoring include:  ● Alex Mackey, Two Rivers’ Manager of Foundations and Grants, will attend some OSSE  professional development trainings;  ● When submitting semi-annual and annual grant reports to OSSE, Two Rivers will provide  additional evidence that the services provided occurred. (Two Rivers, in past years, has  already been doing this as a best-practice.)  ● In April, OSSE will conduct a “desktop review” of our federal grant portfolio, including  budget analysis, to ensure compliance.     3. Partnership with Target Ivy City.​ In December, we were able to shop for 59 families for winter  clothing and other essentials. Target Ivy City donated the first $1,000 and we were able to leverage  this into an additional $5,000 in grants. We reached out to Jody Warden, the director of corporate  social responsibility for Target, and shared our experience. She was so impressed that this experience  is going to be used in training for new store directors and was highlighted in a Target internal memo,  Briefly​. A link to the Target ​Briefly​ article c​ an be accessed by clicking on this link​. The ​Briefly​ article is  also included as an attachment. We plan to build on this goodwill and pursue donations and grants  from the corporate side of Target in addition to our work with the Target in Ivy City.     4. Huawei STEM Grant.​ We secured a $5,000 grant from the Huawei Foundation to support STEM  education across all campuses. This was a highly competitive grant open to greater Washington area  schools, and we secured one of just a handful. Teachers will be able to use the funds to purchase  take-home science kits to enhance distance learning experiences for students.     ATTACHMENTS:  OSSE Enhanced Monitoring Notification for 2021  Target B​ riefly​ Newsletter    ACTIONS:  None at this time.       C: Patricia Eisner, Director of Development  Nick Eckert, Development Associate  Alex Mackey, Manager of Foundations and Grants